First-Rate Faculty and Staff
The Naval Academy's philosophy of education stresses attention to individual students by highly qualified faculty members who are strongly committed to teaching. Classes are small, with an average size of fewer than 18 students and a student-faculty ratio of 8:1. All courses at the Naval Academy are taught and graded by faculty members, not by graduate assistants.

Our 600-member faculty is an integrated group of officers and civilians in nearly equal numbers. Officers bring fresh ideas and experiences from operational units and staffs of the Navy and Marine Corps. The academy's civilian faculty members give continuity to the educational program and form a core of professional scholarship and teaching experience. Working together closely, these military and civilian faculty members form one of the strongest and most dedicated teaching faculties of any college or university in the United States.

Majors
Students at the Naval Academy can select one of 25 different majors grouped into six different divisions: Division of Engineering and Weapons, Division of Mathematics and Science, Division of Humanities and Social Sciences, Division of Professional Development, Division of Leadership Education and Development, and the Division of Character Development and Training. In addition to graduating with a Bachelor's of Science, students can attain a minor in one of seven different languages: French, German, Spanish, Russian, Japanese, Arabic and Chinese.

Students who excel at the Naval Academy have many opportunities to challenge and advance themselves through several special programs -- Trident Scholars, Honors Programs, and Voluntary Graduate Education Program (VGEP).

Graduation Success Rate
For the ninth year in a row, the United States Naval Academy ranks among nation's leaders for graduating NCAA student-athletes on the Division I level. Navy graduated 100 percent of its student-athletes in five of the 21 NCAA sports reported on and averaged an overall rate of 90 percent for student-athletes in all sports which tied for the 10th-highest mark nationally among Football Bowl Subdivision schools.
Additionally, 22 of Navy's 25 NCAA sponsored varsity sports programs rank above the national average in their respective sport in the NCAA Academic Progress Report.

Lowe's Senior CLASS Award
Ricky Dobbs ('11) was named the 2010 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award winner for the Football Bowl Subdivision, becoming the second Navy student-athlete to win the award. The Lowe's Senior CLASS Award was started in 2001 by Dick Enberg in response to the growing trend of men's basketball players leaving school early for the NBA. The award honors the attributes of senior student-athletes in four areas: classroom, community, character and competition. Navy has produced six first-team honorees in their respective sports over the last six years, highlighted by Dobbs' award in 2010 and 2008 grad Evan Barnes, who was men's soccer's inaugural award winner in 2007. Additionally, women's basketball player Kate Hobbs ('07), women's soccer's Lizzie Barnes ('08), men's lacrosse's Andy Tormey ('09) and football's John Dowd ('12) each were named to the Lowe's Senior All-America First Team.

In addition to furthering their education at schools across the country, students at the Naval Academy annually are in competition for several prestigious scholarships. Since Navy's first Rhodes Scholar, E. Van Meter ('28), a total of 48 Naval Academy graduates have received the Rhodes Scholarship, including 2013 graduate Katie Whitcombe, a member of the women's track and field team, and 2005 graduate Trevor Thompson, a former baseball player. Also, 27 grads have won George C. Marshall Scholarships and a trio of recent graduates earned Bowman Scholarships to the Naval Postgraduate School. Lightweight rower Chris Medford ('11), heavyweight rower Mike Shea ('11) and rifle standout Kenan Wang ('11) were each honored as Bowman Scholars.

Standout swimmer Kelly Zahalka ('09) was a recipient of both the Harry S. Truman and Gen. George C. Marshall Scholarships, which paved the way for her to study for two years in the United Kingdom. Katie Davidson ('13) of the women's swimming team and Ronald Allen ('13) of the sprint football team won Marshall Scholarships in 2013.

Former women's track and cross country runner Kayla Sax ('10) became just the ninth student from the Naval Academy to be awarded a Gates Cambridge Scholarship, which has enabled her to contribute to research focused on alternative energy sources at the University of Cambridge.

Eric Washkewicz ('13) became the second student-athlete from the Navy lightweight rowing team to be selected for a Gates Cambridge Scholarship, joining Tom Paul ('12). Washkewicz is the 11th student from the Naval Academy to earn the scholarship.
Elizabeth Hoerner ('14) of the women's soccer team was awarded an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship during the 2013-14 academic year. Hoerner joins the four members of the Class of 2013 that were honored: Laura Gorinski ('13) of the women's swimming team, Chris Galvin ('13) of the men's track & field/cross country team, Brigid Byrne ('13) of the women's track & field/cross country team and Jasmine DePompeo ('13) of the women's lacrosse team. Football's John Dowd ('12), men's tennis player Nick Birger ('11), women's soccer's Beth Reed ('10) and track's Mark Van Orden ('10) are also recent winners.

Naval Academy student-athletes have totaled 101 CoSIDA Academic All-America certificates over the years, with 68 of those awards coming since the start of the 1999-2000 academic year. Navy earned six CoSIDA Academic All-America certificates during the 2013-14 season as Elizabeth Hoerner ('14) of the women's soccer team, Zach Davis ('14) of the men's soccer team, Ellen Bradford ('16) of the women's swimming and diving team, Joshua Steves ('15) of the gymnastics team and Brett Bogaard ('14) and Thomas Buffone ('15) of the men's track and field program were recognized.

Navy had three Patriot League Scholar-Athletes of the Year in 2013-14, with two winners earning the honor for the second straight season. Chris House ('14) of the men's golf team and Elizabeth Hoerner ('14) of the women's soccer team won the top scholar-athlete award for the second year in a row. Ellen Bradford ('16) of the women's swimming and diving team became the fourth consecutive Mid from that sport to be named the scholar-athlete of the year.